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Today's News

Two drivers were cited in an accident Jan. 4 at 4:05 p.m. in front of the Evergreen post office.

Four people left the accident in two ambulances, and traffic was blocked on Evergreen Parkway going south while officers extricated the victims. Both cars were seriously damaged. Two people were injured but not seriously.

Diana Kay Gibbons, 60, of 168 Siesta Circle in Evergreen, received a ticket for careless driving causing bodily injury, according to the accident report compiled by the Colorado State Patrol.

Last week’s news that Gov. Bill Ritter had decided to drop out of the 2010 governor’s race for family reasons brought on a storm of speculation that the time is right for Republican candidates and that Obama disenchantment may be setting in.

Before the announcements, the campaigns of several prominent local Republicans seeking statewide office in November 2010 may have looked far-fetched, but all of a sudden their prospects are looking brighter.

Teachers, administrators, and current and former students who spoke of Jankausky, called “Ms. J” by students and simply “J” by friends and colleagues, told anecdotes and paid tribute to her at a memorial service Jan. 9 at the school. The words of the speakers and the attendance by hundreds spoke of her memorable personality and her commitment to teaching.

The community and its schools continue to reach out to Conifer High School in the wake of last week’s auto accident that killed two students.

On Friday, six local schools, with the help of the Conifer Safeway, sent the staff and teachers at Conifer High cards, fruit baskets and yogurt, sub sandwiches, chips, cookies and a powerful, intangible gesture of support.

Still reeling from the accident Tuesday night that killed two Conifer High School juniors, students at the school began their first day back from winter break on Wednesday with a news conference by the principal.

Principal Michael Musick talked about the students he knew and lost in a horrific crash, and how he intends to help the students affected by the deaths of their classmates.

“This is our worst nightmare for any principal or any parent,” Musick said.

Skate the Lake on New Year’s Eve sold more than 2,100 tickets, and the Big Brrr! Evergreen Lake Plunge on New Year’s Day had 215 human icicles, almost twice as many as last year.

Aided by excellent weather, both events more than met organizers’ expectations. The Big Brrr! netted $11,000 for Drive Smart Evergreen-Conifer and the special-needs program of the Evergreen Park and Recreation District. The amount of the proceeds, or gross sales minus expenses, from Skate the Lake was not available.

Last Sunday, Dec. 20, was the annual Christmas Bird Count. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was clear, sunny, warm (34 degrees when we started), and it warmed more as the day progressed.

There was no wind at ground level, which made it seem even warmer, but the two lenticular clouds in the north told us there were very high winds aloft. I expected the weather to change, but except for a thin overcast in the late afternoon, it remained much the same all day.

It’s disappointing on every level that health care reform, like the stimulus plan before it, will be enacted without bipartisan cooperation. While Democrats have charged Republicans with being obstructionists and Republicans have called Democrats arrogant, the simple fact is that President Obama’s major initiatives will be enacted without Republican support.

A memorial service for Evergreen Middle School science teacher Lesley Jankausky is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, at the EMS gym.

Jankausky, 42, was killed in a car accident on Dec. 22 while traveling to visit family for the holidays.

Jankausky had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last summer and came home talking about raising money so she could help send the porter from her trip to school to learn English, giving him the opportunity to earn better wages and improve his life.